Wash-board



STATES EDlVARD ELLINGEN, OF MINERAL POINT, XVISCONSIN.

WASH-BOARD.

SPECTFIC'ATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 354:,113. dated December 14, 1886.

Application filed Julie 4, 1856. Serial No. 204,163. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD ELLINGEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mineral Point, in the county of Iowa and State of WVisconsin, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in \Vash-Boards, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in wash-boards; and it consists of the peculiar construction and arrangement of the-various parts for service, substantially as hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved cappiece for wash-boards for protectin g the operator from splashing water, and which can be easily and readily reversed to adapt either side of the wash-board for use, to provide means for locking the swinging and reversible cap in either of its adjusted positions, so that it canhot be moved or turned out of position when'it is in use unless the locking device is released to permit the cap to be turned, and to provide improved means which shall be simple and strong in construction, effective and reliable in operation, and cheap and inexpensive of manufacture.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of my improved wash-board. Fig. 2 is a vertical central sectional view through the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line at x of Fig. 2. Fig. 4-is a detached perspective view of the reversible cap. Fig. 5 is a detached perspective view of a part of my improvement.

Referring to the drawings, in which likeletters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures, A designates the side rails of my improved wash-board, and B the corrugated rubbing-surface, which in the present case is made from a single slab or piece of porcelain, stone, crockery, or any other desired non corrosive substance, the side edges of which are adjusted to bear or impinge against the inner opposing faces of the said rails A. The opposite faces or sides of the rubbing-surface are corrugated or roughened, as at b, and

' the said rubbing-surface is secured in place between the side rails by means of cleats or strips B, which bear against the same and are suitably secured to the side rails, A, in any suitable or preferable manner.

0 designates the swinging and reversible cap, which is curved longitudinally and made from a single piece of sheet metal or other suitable or preferred material, so that the ends thereof are arranged or lie at an angle to each other, the middle of the cap being curved or rounded to conform to the shape of the person when the operator bends over the same, as will be readily understood, so that no sharp edges are presented which will injure or hurt the operator in any way.

The side edges of the reversible cap are pro vided with side walls, D, which are suitably secured thereto and arranged at right angles, and these side walls, D, bearorimpinge against the sides of the rails A, and are pivoted to the latter, as at (I, so that either of the ends'of the cap can be thrown into operative position, to prevent the water in the tub from splashing out and wetting the clothing or person of the operator.

The end walls or pieces, D, of the swinging and reversible cap are provided with hollow trunnions c, which are fitted in circular grooves or recesses e, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, and by means of these side walls or pieces the water that is liable to splash out from the tub above the upper edges of the surface 0 isretained therein. The lower edges of the side walls or pieces are curved, as shown, and extend down to the upper edge of the rubbingsurface of the wash-board, and the lowermost end of the cap-picce lies in rear of and below the said upper edge of the rubbing-surface, so that water or other liquid is effectually prevented from escaping, a space or chamber-being provided between the upper end of the rubbingsnrface and the inner face of the cap, in which cakes of soap or the like can be placed and held out of contact with the water, &c.

The side rails, A, of the wash-board are con nected and braced together by means of transverse bolts or tie-=bars F, which are provided 5 with threaded ends to receive binding-nuts f, that serve to tighten the tension or decrease the same, as desired, and these tension-rods bear against the upper and lower edges of the rubbing-surface andfit in groovesf, provided IOO therefor, so that the rubbing-surface will be more securely and rigidly held from displacement and the strain thereon will be reduced to a minimum.

The side walls, D, of the swinging cap are provided, near their ends, with one or more perforations, g, and the rails A, near their upper ends, are provided with similar openings, 9, and when the cap is swung back and forth on its pivots the openings 9 in the side walls thereof align with the openings 9" in the side rails, A, of the wash-board, and through these aligned openings 9 and 9 passes the locking nib or shoulder h of a swinging arm, H, that is pivoted or hinged on the outer face of the rails A, as at h These swinging arms are further provided with thumb-pieces h for their convenient manipulation by'hand, one of the arms being provided for each side of the swing ing cap.

The operation of my invention will be readily understood from theforegoing description, taken in connection with the drawings. "When the device is adjusted for use, one end of the swinging cap bears against the opposite side of rails A, on which the rubbing-surface is to be used, and the lower edges of the cap lie in rear of and beneath the upper edges of the rubbing'surfacawhile the opposite edge of the cap overhangs the rubbing-surface, whereby water is effectually prevented from escaping. When it'is desired to use the other side of the wash-board, the locking-arms are moved to withdraw the nib h thereof from-the aligned openings of the cap and the side rails, and the cap is then swung on its pivots or trunnions to reverse the position of the ends thereof, when the locking-arms are again adjusted in the openings 9 and g, which are in alignment when the lower end of the cap strikes against the edges of the side rails, A. It will thus be seen that I provide a swinging cap which can be very easily and readily operated to assume either position to adapt either one of the rubbing-surfaces of the board to be used, and the cap is very securely and firmly held in its adjusted position by means of the locking-arms. The device is very simple and strong'in construction and cheap and inexpensive of manufacture.

Having thus fully described my -invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a wash-board, of a swinging cap bent longitudinally to dispose its ends at an angle to each other, and having the side walls or pieces pivoted to the sides of the wash-board, and the swin ginglocking-arms carried by the wash-board, and having the nibs adapted to enter aligned openings of .the cap and the wash-board to lock the cap to the board against movement, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the side rails, the non-corrosive corrugated rubbing-surface fitted between the side rails and having the grooved ends, the tension-rods secured in the side rails and fitting in the grooves of the rubbing surface, a swinging cap having its ends arranged at an angle to each other and provided with the depending side walls pivoted centrally to the side rails, and the swinging locking-arms pivoted on and carried by the side rails, and having the nibs adapted to enter aligned openings of the side walls of the cap and the side rails to lock the cap to the said rails, substantially as described, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' EDWARD. ELLINGEN.

Witnesses:

W. A. J ONES, B. JAMES. 

